Chopped Wings
by ShawnOfFiction
Summary: Hyo Wasukibo is a terribly average rookie investigator placed under a terribly average senior investigator. OC. Saying anything more about the story would probably spoil things.


My name is Hyo Wasukibo.

Being a Ghoul Investigator was an okay job. Sure, I couldn't box like I used to, and some of the people I work with were far too eccentric for my tastes, but it was a job that paid just like another other. Sure, I risked my life, but I wasn't losing sleep over it, at least not yet.

Today was my first day. I, along with about 400 other initiates, stood in an auditorium. On the stage stood one Tsuneyoshi Washuu, head of the CCG. He held a serioes look upon his face, and as soon as he cleared his throat the chattering in the auditorium ceased completely. The respect he demanded was just unmatched.

"Initiates, today you'll officially be a part of the CCG and no longer trainees. Many expectations will be placed upon you and your performance from here on. Do not fear, however, as this new path is something you've been prepared for. Some of you have graduated and placed as Rank 2 Investigators, others have been placed as Bureau Investigators. Along the way you'll hear many titles being thrown around, and while it is respectful to acknowledge those who are of higher rank, you must remember that we're all fighting for one thing: humanity."

A pause.

"Sometimes, your purpose will waver. You will question yourself at every turn and some orders may seem cruel or unnecessary. Remember this and remember it well: It is us or them. Never forget that for every 'peaceful'" another tense pause, one where a grimace appeared on his face for just a moment. "Monster, there are a thousand ready to consume you at a moment's opportunity. We defend humanity, and through doing so, we must destroy some of our own. Others will tell you otherwise, but you _are_ destroying families in some cases. These abominations have embedded themselves so heavily into our society that it sometimes affects our perception. There will be children whose closest, most well-known friend you'll have to annihilate. Whole families with neighbors who treat them like their own, the owner of some businesses, the clerk at your local convenience store. No one is exempt from suspicion until their blood is tested. Of course, there are procedures and regulations that keep us from acting upon any suspicion we have, but that should not keep you from keeping open eyes and ears. I wish you luck in your endeavors to protect the human race, initiates, as all of your efforts amount up to that goal."

He stepped off the stage and we were ushered forward to lines based on our familial names. Having mine start with H, the line wasn't exactly short. After about 15 minutes of waiting, I was given a Badge, an ID, a parchment, and a small suitcase. Along the side where the handle was, the word _Tsunagi_ was etched. Tsunagi was a common and mass distributed quinque. The suitcase would transform by condensing itself within it's handle whilst the sword would be pushed out from the inside. If one was curious as well as foolish enough to take a close look at it, they would discover the blade was segmented, as well as the pulsating of a kakuhou within the blade. That kakuhou, the one that ached when there were RC cells to be consumed nearby, was what made a person a fool for looking so closely.

I shuddered at the thought of documented accidents when quique were first being created.

The small parchment told me to be at the 1st Ward at noon tomorrow. They were rather lax with their times, it seemed. Maybe it was because some investigators were so… eccentric. I wouldn't be surprised if most couldn't find it in them to be awake before 10 AM.

The train ride home was relaxing. The soft sway of the Tokyo Metro car as Spanish Sahara by Foals played quietly into my headphones. I wasn't too tall, and the investigator's jacket made me seem kind of bulky, but I went by unnoticed. Invisible and at peace.

Before I knew it I was at my stop.I lived in the 14th ward, close to the border it shared with the 4th ward. Before I went home, I would usually spend about an hour or 2 speaking to the bartender at my favorite bar, Helter Skelter. The bartender, a middle aged Russian man by the name of Artyom. He and I would have interesting conversations about various concepts. He was older than me, but he didn't ever use it as an argument about some idea we differed in opinions about. I'd usually spend the hour speaking to him and watching the news, and while the time, in my opinion, was well spent, I would often find myself wondering why I would go back so often. It's not like I was a drunk, half the time I went I either drank one beer or ordered a cup of water. No, it wasn't until the day I brought the suitcase with me that I figured out what made me keep coming.

Approaching the entrance to Helter Skelter, I sat down and greeted Artyom.

"Artyom, good evening."

"And a good one to you." He smiled while wiping away at a glass with a small cloth. I set my suitcase on my table and then turned my attention towards the news. Some lady whose name I forgot the moment I looked away from the TV was speaking about the search for the One Eyed Owl. Having disappeared for 10 years after the Reaper of the CCG had fatally wounded it, it would come up on the news every so often. The depiction of it was a particularly monstrous thing. It had 3 lines over its left eye and a circular hole for a right eye. Its arms were bulky and muscular while 4 spikes protruded from its back.

"Truly sickening thing, huh?" Artyom asked. I hummed in agreement. The thing was pretty scary. I turned to Artyom.

"Yeah. I can't imagine facing something like that."

"Thank the heavens you won't ever have to. The ghouls in my country are far more… discreet in their appearances."

"I wouldn't speak to soon. I'm an investigator now."

He bristled ever so slightly. His eyes didn't widen or anything but I could see him shifting his stance slightly. For a moment he stopped rubbing the glass with the cloth, but went on with his actions. He was hiding something. It was best to be discreet in these cases, and simply keep an eye out. These were called "side-hunts". They were small, unofficial operations that were the result of a hunch. You weren't to overtly investigate the target, but observe them and wait for a mistake that would reveal them as a ghoul. The success of these "side-hunts" varied for each person. This being one of the few times I was ready to observe more closely than any other time, I didn't have much experience, but there were people like Kureo Mado who seemingly had a sensitivity to the increased amount of RC cells in ghouls.

But Artyom was a pleasant man to be around. I sincerely hoped he didn't eat live humans, at least, and that he wouldn't get caught.

Unlike others of my profession, I was willing to look past the small fry. If the man wasn't openly killing humans then I've no inclination to capture or kill him. Washuu-sama's words echoed in my head, but I refused to let them dictate my feelings and actions. I was an investigator for money and to find someone.

Artyom himself had simply taken to sighing and starting conversation in a relaxed manner.

"So you're an investigator, now?" He asked. I nodded and turned back towards the television. The picture of the Owl was still being presented.

"I may come face to face with that beast. Hopefully I won't, though. I like my limbs attached to my body." I told him. He chuckled lightly in response.

"We've never spoken about your profession, but I'd like to say congratulations, Wasukibo." He poured a pint of beer out and set it on the counter before sliding it over to me. Taking the cloth back in his hands, he dried them mechanically before speaking once more. "We don't always get newly initiated ghoul investigators here, have one on the house, comrade." He said with a wink. I laughed freely. For some reason I found the fact that he was aware of the cliche where Russians refer to friends as 'comrades' incredibly funny. 'This is why I spend some time here. I hope I'm wrong, Artyom, and if I'm not, I hope you don't make a mistake.'

After the one beer I went home and slept for half a day. Waking at 10 AM, I got ready and gathered myself in preparation for my first day as a full fledged investigator. Sure, I had training and prior knowledge of what I would do, but the actual things left me woefully unprepared on a conscious level.

Entering the 1st Ward CCG office I was joined by at least 10 other initiates simply shuffling along the entrance. I knew the procedures that needed to be taken as well as the things that were expected of me now that I was a Rank 2 Investigator, but just like my equally new colleagues, I had no idea as to where exactly we were to report to. As if he had heard our questions, a man cleared his throat loudly in front of the group.

He was…

Plain.

That was the only way to describe him. He had gray hair cut in a straight shag that ended above his eyebrows. Standing at a very average height, he wore his investigator's uniform buttoned all the way up to the collar. Most of the other initiates didn't respond to the first time he cleared his throat, so I cleared my own as loud as I could without being disruptive within the office and the others looked at me. I looked towards the gray haired man and the others followed my gaze.

"I am First Class Take Hirako, and I've been assigned to one of you." He exhaled through his nose tiredly and scratched the back of his head. Pulling a piece of paper from his jacket pocket, he passed over it momentarily before putting it back into his pocket slowly.

"Most of you here are to be put alongside one another under another superior. The rest are to be put privately under a superior like myself. As for who is to be put under myself, I am looking for one… Hyo Wasukibo."

I stepped forward and he looked me over with his dead eyes before turning.

"Follow me."

He showed me around the first floor and to different people I would be meeting with often. As much as I'd like to say I remembered names, I only remembered a person's purpose and how often I should consult with them. More often than not I was introduced to someone and told that if I had a problem of a certain criteria I should take it with them.

Moreover, I was being introduced to them as Take Hirako's new partner.

Before I knew it we were somewhere farther into the building, a dimly lit area with many blackboards and posters littering the area. This was known as the investigation room and was heavily hidden should any ghoul or ghoul informant come try to find out how the CCG is progressing in its various hunts. In my opinion it was a diminutively vexing practice, but a necessary one. I was brought up to a small space with an empty board, two chairs and two computers. Collapsible walls made the area a small but cozy 20'x10' area in which two could sit and discuss quietly.

Hirako-san sat down at the far end of the area and gestured for me to take a seat as well.

"I understand you graduated 5th at the Academy."

"Yes, sir" I replied.

"Where did you go wrong?"

"Wrong, sir?"

"You weren't the best to come out of your class, what went wrong?"

The question caught me off guard and I found myself remembering what exactly had gone wrong. Last night came to mind, as I had abandoned my suspicion as a ghoul investigator in favor of a pleasant time and a drink.

"I wasn't as resolute as others in my class, sir."

"Please drop the sir. If you're going to call me anything, call me Hirako."

"Yes, Hirako-san."

"So your combat effectiveness and investigatory skills were up to par with, say, Koutarou Amon after his graduation?"

Koutarou Amon was an enigma of a man with ambition and drive unrivaled. He graduated Valedictorian of his class and is now a Rank 2 Investigator, just like me, though many in my own class had been following his accomplishments and predicted he'd be promoted by the year's end. He was known for being very dedicated to the cause. No one knows why, exactly, but he's a young man who does his job to make the world a better place in his eyes. In that sense, I can't fault him.

Still, I despise the man named Koutarou Amon.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, made me angrier than senseless bee-hive thinking, and he was the prime example of a worker bee. Sure, it's a cause he believes in but he acts and thinks like a robot. So proper, so straight-and-narrow that seeing him in some of my lectures while in the academy would bring me to leave the class. I was a stickler for better lives for humans, as well as surviving against biologically evolved versions of ourselves, but god knows you don't have to be a tool.

And despite all this, what made me angrier than anything, was that he was a good, strong investigator. I was just small fry compared to his achievements, and even if he knew of my complete distaste for his character, I doubt it would mean much of anything to him. Sure, I had close to perfect grades in terms of combat effectiveness and investigatory skills, but it didn't really mean much to me until I put it to use.

But alas, Hirako-san didn't need to know that. I kept my face neutral and my voice calm when I responded.

"Yes, Hirako-san."

"Bold claim."

"I do not believe so."

"We'll receive our first assignment as a duo in a few hours. I assume you brought your standard issue quinque, yes?"

I nodded.

"Good. Be ready."

The conversation was very monotone, and he turned back to his computer.

I turned to my computer and pretended to do something productive or relevant whilst scrolling through /r/newsoku. I took a quick glance over to his monitor and almost snickered.

The bastard was on Reddit.

A few hours later found me walking alongside Hirako-san to the site of a report from a frightened civilian. The report came directly to the CCG, Hirako-san had explained.

"Unlike more common reports of suspected ghoul activity that come through from the police station, this one was a direct call from an old lady in 17."

"What makes a direct report different? Doesn't that just mean she suspected that the person she saw was a ghoul?"

"But this is a civilian. They are not trained as we are, they panic upon seeing things that disturb them or even things they don't understand, and most folks immediately call 119. This old woman had enough composure to report the suspicious activity calmly and also give us a very specific location."

"Stinks of a trap." I asked.

He nodded and kept walking.

The report itself wasn't as suspicious as the circumstances around it. A presumably elderly woman had called in saying that a man with a monkey mask had been stalking the alleyways for a few nights behind her apartment. We were currently headed towards the alleyway behind the old lady's apartment building to confirm the presence of the ghoul suspected to have been seen here: The Devil Ape.

The Devil Ape had gone silent a decade ago according to the data the CCG had on him, but past incidents that have involved a ghoul's successor/imitator could be just as, if not more dangerous than their predecessor, and the Devil Ape was an SS-Ranked ghoul.

Which is why I was doing the investigating and Hirako-san had made sure to tell me in a no-nonsense tone(not that he had any other tone than that) that he would be the one doing the hunting in such an event where it was actually the Devil Ape. I nodded along but gripped the handle of my suitcase a little tighter. I wasn't itching to fight anyone or anything, but I did feel ready.

Upon arriving to the apartment building, we saw an elderly woman outside, looking down the street and away from where we were crossing. Halfway through the street she turned and spotted us, then waved us forward. I was about to take a step when Hirako-san put a hand on my chest, indicating for me to stop.

A car zoomed by where I was about to walk, and I felt my heart just start beating a little faster. After a moment of waiting he started walking once more, keeping his eyes on the old lady. I chuckled nervously.

"Not even into our first real fight and you've already saved my life once."

He said nothing and kept his stride. I couldn't tell if this was something I was to expect from Hirako-san whilst we were working or if something was off. I assumed the latter and put on my 'serious Hyo face'.

"Oh my, are you strapping young men from that service I called?"

My serious face fell and deformed into an offended one. "We aren't a service ma'am, we-"

Hirako-san spoke louder than I was and cut me off completely.

"Yes, we are. Would you show us where you saw the man with the mask?"

The woman nodded and slowly began to walk into the alleyway. After we reached the darkest recesses of the alleyway, she pointed upwards to the second floor and spoke. "That's the window from my apartment. I've been seeing the man in the monkey mask here every night."

I looked up, but noted that Hirako-san wasn't. There was a fire escape

Then, out of nowhere, Hirako-san had left my side.

I looked back and saw him with a serrated blade cutting through purple tentacles. He followed with a strike across the old lady's chest, drawing blood and spraying it into the air. From the corner of my eye I saw someone peering in from the window the woman had pointed at. We made eye contact for just a moment then the person left my vision.

Instincts overtook normal thought as I kicked off a discarded trash can and used the added height to jump onto the fire escape. I saw the person from the window running out of the room and I took my quinque suitcase and smashed it against the glass. Jumping in, I ran after where I had last seen the witness and turned the corner. I could hear Hirako-san calling my name from outside, but I was determined to find this onlooker.

Turning into the other room, I saw what had to be a young girl with her back turned.

"Uh… Miss? I know you saw something disturbing out there, but you should never run away from- can you turn around please?" I asked her.

"No."

I sighed, losing a bit of patience. "Miss, I'm going to need you to turn around now. Faces are important things for investigators." I told her.

Suddenly, her shirt ripped open at the waist and a tentacle the same color as the old woman's flew out towards me. Years of reactionary training in both the Ghoul Investigator Training Academy and boxing allowed me to weave around it by bending my lumbar to the right and my torso backwards while turning my chest to the left slightly.

The assault didn't stop there as the tentacle tore through the room, breaking away at the walls and furniture, forcing me to hide behind the wall of the room I had just left. I heard another door open and I realized that the room she was in was probably led to the outside. Abandoning fear of the tentacles in tight spaces, I ran back inside to find an open door into the apartment building's hallway.

I got out just in time to see her running towards the stairs across the hallway and I ran after her. Once I reached the stairs, the tentacles struck upwards from the 1st floor and I weaved that one just the same as before. The tentacle retreated outward into the lobby and I ran after the ghoul, intent on identifying it at the least before it got away.

Just as as I run into the lobby the girl stopped. She was wearing a hoodie, I noticed, and she pulled at its strings tightly before turning around.

All I could see was her lips and nose.

Resourceful.

"Look, just relax, you can live a peaceful, supplemented life in our rehabilitation center. This is only if you co-operate with me."

The girl huffed, then responded by muttering. I squinted and inched forward, thumb hovering over my Tsunagi's release button. "What was that?"

"Why can't you just leave us be!" She yelled as she leaned forward, releasing another tentacle alongside the original from her lower back. Instantly I released my weapon and brought it up to cut away at the appendages like Hirako-san had done with the old lady. My blade struck true and severed the first tentacle while I dodged the second. They didn't let up, however, forcing me to dodge and duck many other attacks once the tentacle I had severed grew back.

She was a rinkaku type. Pretty good regeneration, severing the tentacles wouldn't work for too long.

I assessed my advantages. She was striking wildly and her eyes were covered me, meaning she was aiming solely with her sense of smell, and perhaps some of her hearing. As I maneuvered around her attacks, an idea came to mind.

Ripping off my investigator's jacket, I threw it far to the side and made no more movement, dodging the last of the attacks by weaving while standing still. For an instant, both tentacles attacked the place where my jacket had fallen and made a ruffling sound, allowing me to close the small distance and use my Tsunagi as a spear, piercing her through where I thought her kakuhou would be. She cried out as her extra RC appendages dissipated into the air and I pulled my blade back, spinning while doing so, and then slicing across her neck and severing her head completely.

Blood was a part of my existence then. I saw red almost everywhere as the open neck wound spurted the thick red iron fluid into my face and my eyes.

Rubbing away at my eyes, I saw her almost lifeless body on the floor twitching. The hoodie had come undone after I cut through, revealing a young girl who couldn't have been older than 16.

The gravity of what had just occurred dawned upon me. I lived.

Holy shit in a basket, I lived!

And she didn't.

It didn't bother me as much as I wished it would.


End file.
